Disney acquires rights for future 'Indiana Jones' films

First Star Wars, now Indiana Jones? The Walt Disney Studios announced Friday that it has reached a marketing and distribution agreement with Paramount Pictures for future Indiana Jones films, meaning George Lucas’ two iconic franchises are now firmly in Disney’s hands.

Of course, Disney has owned Indiana Jones production rights since 2012, when the studio acquired LucasFilm. Until now, though, Paramount possessed marketing and distribution rights. Those now belong to Disney, making the process of making and releasing future Indiana Jones films much easier — not to mention more likely. In return for the rights, Paramount will receive “financial participation on any future films.” In other words, the studio will still get an undisclosed cut of the business. Paramount will retain distribution rights for the first four films in the series.

Disney did not reveal plans for any new Indiana Jones installments — and inside sources say not to expect any such announcements in the immediate future. Still, the move is a clear bid to start putting additional whip-cracking archaeology adventures into motion. The question now is whether Harrison Ford, 71, will still be the star, or if Disney plans on rebooting the franchise altogether. Commence your speculation now!